A leadership crisis has engulfed the Association of Former Female Athletes of Nigeria (AFFAN) following allegations by some founding members that the association’s Acting President, Dr. Esther Aluko, and some members altered the organisation’s constitutional and registration documents in a bid to assume sole ownership.
The allegations were contained in a petition signed by retired Air Commodore Rahinatu Garba and a copy of it made available to Voice of Nigeria. The petition accused Dr. Aluko and her alleged collaborators of secretly tampering with AFFAN’s registration documents filed with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to falsely project individual ownership of the association.
According to the petition, AFFAN, registered as an Incorporated Trustee with the CAC under registration number 125037, is collectively owned by its members in line with the provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020. The petitioners insisted that no individual, including any co-founder, has the legal authority to claim sole ownership of the association.
The aggrieved members further urged national sports federations, relevant sports authorities, stakeholders and the general public to disregard any communication relating to elections or other official activities purportedly issued by what they described as “illegal officials” of the association. They also dissociated themselves from Dr. Aluko and her alleged associates, accusing them of carrying out unlawful actions capable of undermining the organisation.
Responding to the allegations, Dr. Aluko dismissed the claims as false, baseless and unfounded. She argued that if the petitioners were genuinely interested in the progress of AFFAN, they would have pursued dialogue rather than what she described as misinformation and false accusations.
Dr. Aluko maintained that the allegations surfaced shortly after AFFAN achieved what she described as a historic milestone with its official recognition. She said the association remained committed to its mandate and would not be distracted by the ongoing controversy, adding that the leadership would remain focused on advancing the objectives of the organisation despite the dispute.
